Kharge, Rahul discuss Manipur crisis with Congress leaders from state

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi met with party leaders from Manipur on Thursday to assess the worsening situation in the conflict-hit state. The meeting took place at the party’s newly inaugurated AICC headquarters at Indira Bhavan.

Also present were Congress general secretary (organisation) K C Venugopal, the party’s Manipur in-charge Saptagiri Ulaka, and state Congress chief Keisham Meghachandra Singh, along with other senior leaders.

Speaking after the meeting, Venugopal underlined the urgency of political intervention. “Manipur has been under the grip of a devastating civil war for the last two years. It requires a political solution to bring back normalcy at the earliest,” he wrote in a post on X.

Manipur has been experiencing ethnic clashes between the Meitei and Kuki communities since May 2023. The conflict has claimed over 200 lives and displaced thousands, with no significant breakthrough in peace talks so far.

Congress has repeatedly urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally visit the state and engage with affected communities. The party maintains that the Centre’s lack of direct intervention has only deepened the humanitarian and security crisis.

The meeting at AICC was seen as part of the Congress leadership’s attempt to amplify its demand for urgent political action and a sustainable roadmap for peace.